Is this what you remember learning in school: Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain in 1492 and crossed the Atlantic Ocean, disproving a common belief in those days that the Earth was flat and that he would fall off the edge if he ventured too far? Well, it’s not true. Historians say there is no doubt that educated people knew quite well in Columbus’ day that the Earth was not flat but round. In fact, it was known many, many years earlier.